Compass foe



\ c. D. MCCONNELL.

COMPASS FOR AUTOMOBILES. APPLICATION FILED FEB. l5. |918.

1-,3 1 7,086 Patented Sept. 23, 1919.

29 '\O\\\\\\ ffy.- w fg F:

(100190 f l x L ATTORNEY CHARLES D MeeoNNELL, or osKALoosA, IOWA.

COMPASS FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 23, 1919.

Application lcd February 15, 1918. Serial No. 217,431.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES D. MoCoN- NELL, avcitizen of the United States, residing at Oskaloosa, in the county of- Mahaska and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Compass yfor Automobiles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to compasses for use on automobiles and its object is to provide a device which may be applied to the wind shield or other convenient part of the vehicle within ready view of the driver of the vehicle whereby the course of the vehicle is constantly indicated to the driver.

. The invention comprises a compass with amounting therefor capable of being applied to the wind shield of an automobile so that-the indicating portion of the compass is constantly visible to the driver of the vehicle, and, furthermore, the arrangement may be such that a compass may be applied to or removed from the wind shield at will l and may be readily stored in the pocket of the operator. The comp-ass is so made as to be weather and dust proof and there is provision for lmaintaining the compass level even though the wind shleld be tipped as is sometimes the case.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following description'` taken in connection with the ac companying drawings forming part of this specification, with the further understanding that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings but may Ibe changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications are Within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings v Figure 1 is a side elevation of the autocompass of the invention applied to one lass of a windshield, said glass being shown 1n section;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan vIiew of the compass omitting some parts;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig, 2 but drawn on a larger scale;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but show ing the wind shield glass tilted with the comj pass .Gase horizontal;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the dial and needle part of the compass;

Fig. 7 is an edge view of the structure shown in Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings there is shown a cylindrical -ease 1 constituting the compass body and on a peripheral portion of the case is a window 2 including a glass pane 3 set in a frame 4.- in any suitable manner to make it weather and dust proof.

The casing 1 may be of any desirable construction, but on account of the liability of exposure to weather and other conditions the casing should be both weather and dustproof.

On what constitutes the bottom of the casing is an elongated boss 5 having a chamber 6 therein communicating with the interior of the casing. Extending from the chamber 6, which is near that side of the casing adjacent to the window 2, is a. passage or channel 7 substantially parallel with the bottom of the casing and opening at the end remote from the chamber 6. The boss 5 may be conveniently made in one piece with the bottom of the casing or may be otherwise constructed as may be deemed desirable.

Within the casing and in alined relationy with each other "at the top and bottom of the casing respectively are bearinvs 8 and 9 for a. pointed shaft 10. The bearmgs 8 and 9 are preferably jewel bearings so that the shaft 10 may be very accurately and .delicately mounted. Carried by the shaft 10 near the lowerjewelbearing 9 is a magnetized bar 11 arranged diametrically of the casing 1. The bar 11 carries a ring 12 which may be made of fiat material set on edge and having displayed thereon indicial 13 representing the points of the compass. The rmg 12 is of a translucent nature for a urpose which will hereinafter appear. The indicia on the responsive member of the compass are visible through the window 2 but the latter is suiliciently restricted in length to prevent more than one indicating mark from being seen at a time,Y especially when such mark is approximately central to the window. l

On opposite sides of the boss 5 and arranged on an axis parallel with that diam- (etr of "the casing 1 which is perpendicular ioo to the diameter of the casing central to the` window 2, are trunnions 14. Secured to each trunnion 14 by a screw 15 is one end of a respective one of two arms 16,l theother ends of the arms being secured to or formed in one piece with a plate 17 arranged at substantially right angles to the lengths of the arms 16, but such particular arrangement is not obligatory. The plate 17 extends from the arms 16 in a direction away from the casing 1. The plate 17 is made-fast to a larger- Iplate 18 which may extend not only lengthwise of the plate 17 but for a distance higher than the top of the compass casing 1' and is there benty into `a clip -or finger 19 shaped to straddle the upper edge of one of theglass panes 20 of a wind shield such pane being the lower pane. The clip 19- has a free end so disposed that it may be made to engage the outer face of the glass 20 while a rubber or other elastic sheet 22 is secured to that face of the plate 18 towardthe glass pane 20 whereby the wholev device may be applied to the wind shield glass and will firmly hold its position thereon because ofthe frictional character of the rubber or .other similar material and the pressure with which the rubber is held in engagement with the glass by the elasticity of the linger 21.

Within dthe passage 7 lthere is lodged a plug 23 which may be made of insulating '-material, and this plug projects atone end beyond the open end of the passage 7 and with the `other end within the passage 7 and there carries a lamp socket 24 of the kind usually described as aminiature lamp socket although any of the customary forms o lamp sockets adapted for the purpose may. be employed. The lamp socket is provided with an electric lamp 25A capable of being energized by any suitable source of current, say by a, battery or generator such yas is usually provided on automobiles. The lamp `.bulb is so arranged as to be located within the chamber 6 and light from the lamp bulb is transmitted into the casing 1 through the opening where the chamber 6 merges into the interior of the casing 1, 7whereby the light furnished by the lamp illuminates the visible portion ofthe compass indicia so that the latter are visible through the window 2, the lamp being used for illumination at night. Should it be desired to .consult the compass during the day-time this is accomplished'by external light. The lindicia and the ground on which they are produced may be of suchcontrasting. character as to make the indicia clearlyvisible by daylight.-

The plug 23 is 1s accomplished by means of an angle pin 26- fast on the plug and'project'ing through a recess 27 in the corresponding end of the boss 5. The recess has sloping walls 28 on opposite sides. When the pin 26 is central rotatable to` alimited deee ywithin the passage 7 Aand such rotation' vjin the recess 27 it is out'o engagement with either of thewalls 28 but when the pin is moved to one side or the other against a wall '28 such sloping wall acts as a cam forcing the plug 28 a short distance longitudinally and the side portions of the recess are so made as to receive and retain the pin 26 holding it at one extremity or the other of Under these circumstances one side of the circuit of the lamp 25 may be its travel.

through the vsocket 24 and by way of the pin 26, whlch may be electrically connected with ythe socket 24, tok the .boss 5 and thence by way of the metallic parts of the compass casing to the plate 17 and by wayof a conductor 29 to the particular source of current therefrom is a spring contact 30 so arranged as to engage a terminal 31 carried 'by the plug 23 and engaging the center contact of the lamp 25. The spring contact.30 may be connected by a conductor 32 to the source .of electric energy already referred to.

The compass is capable of being rocked about the axis of its connection with the arms 16 but this does not interrupt the circuit of the lamp 25 because the contact 31 contact 30 through a considerable extent of rocking of the compass. This arrangement permits the tilting of the wind shield 20 to as greata degree as is customary, such position of the parts being shown in Fig.y 5. When the'wind shield 20 is upright or when tilted the compass may be kept level and, therefore, will respond accurately to changes in the course of the vehicle and constantly Y of -a compass mounted adjacent to and in front of the operators seat of the automobile andfprovided with a casing having a window directed rearwardl sald compass having a magnetized mem er 'mounted to turn on a substantially upright axis in response to earth magnetism, and an indicia 'carrier mounted on said magnetized member and having indicia displayed in substantially upright position through the rearwardl directed window. 2. lcompass for automobiles having a casing with a circumscribed windowthrough one slide, a magnetized member 'in the casing mounted to turn, when in operative poition, on a substantially upright axis,

employed. :Fast to the plate 17 but insulated 'will maintain engagement'with the spring response to earth magnetism, a support for the compass adapted to be attached to the automobile forward of the operators seat thereof, and a carrier mounted on the magnetized member and provided with indicla fractionally visible through the window as the carrier turns and representing the cardinal points of the compass disp aced about the axis of the magnetlzed member by substantially 180?.

3. A compass for automobiles having a casing of generally cylindrical form with a circumscribed window through its peripheral portion, a magnetized member mounted to turn, when in operative position, on a subv stantially upright axis, in response to earth magnetism, and a carrier of substantially cyllndrical form mounted on said magnetized member in concentric relation to the.

upright axis and provided with indicia, fractionally visible through the window as the carrier turns and representing the cardinal points of the compass, inI upright position and displaced by substantially 180 from the normal position of such oints, whereby an observer viewing the indicia from the rear of the compass may directly read the compass indications correctly showing the direction of forward travel of the automobile.l

4. A compass for automobiles provided with indicla 'representing the cardinal points of the compass arranged oppositely to the natural position and constantly holding such relation with reference to the magnetic member of the compass, and a casingv inclosing the portion of the compass carrying the indic1a and magnetic member and provided with a window of circumscribed area and of a size to exhibit one of the indicia at a time, whereby an observer facing the direction in which the automobile is headed reads the positio'n of the automobile on that portion of the compass facing the observer.

5. A compass for'automobiles comprising a casing witlra window on one side of c1rcumscribedarea as compared to said side, a support for the casing attachable to an automobile to hold the window facingtoward the rear of the automobile, and means responsive to earth magnetism and located within the compass casing and provided with indicia visible through the window and arranged to indicate the point of the compass toward which the automobile is headed. f

6. A compass for automobiles, comprising a casing with .means therein responsive to earth magnetism, said caslng having a window on one side,\an indicia carrier on the magnetically responsive means andv arranged to be visible through the window to indicate the direction toward which the automobile is headed, and carrying means for thecompass provided with holding means adapted'to engage a wind shield glass of the automobile and so sustain the compass that the window thereof is directed rear- 'wardly.

7. A compass for automobiles, comprising a casing with means therein responsive to earth magnetism, said casing having a window on one side, an indicia carrier `on the magnetically responsive means and arranged to be visible through the window to indicate the direction toward which the automobile is headed, and'carrying means for the compass provided with holdingmeans adapted to engage a wind shield glass of the automobile and so sus'tain the compass that the window thereof is directed rearwardly, the compass and its holding means having a jointed connection for permitting tipping of the wind shield and the maintenance of ,the compass in a substantially level position.

8. Acompass for automobiles provided with a'casing having a window at one side, a compass member within the compass casing mounted to respond to earth magnetism, an indicia carrier on the magnetically responsive member, and means for directing light through the indicia carrier'where provided with indicia for illuminating the indicia for observation thereof through the window. l 9. A compass for automobiles provide with a casing having a window at one side, a compass member within the casing mounted to respond to earth magnetism, a cylindrical indicia carrier on the magnetically responsive member, and means for directing light through the walls of the indicia carrier where provided with indicia for illuminating the indicia for observation thereof through the window.

10. A compass for automobiles provided with a casing having a window at one side, a compass member within the casing mounted to respond to earth magnetism, a cylindrical indicia carrier on and movable with the magnetically responsive member and transmissible of light through its walls, and means for directing light against the inner wall of the indicia carrier where opposite the window for the transmission of the light through the carrier to the window.

11. A compass for automobiles provided with a casing having a window at one side, a compass member within the casing mounted to respond to earth magnetism, a cylindrical indicia carrier on and movable with the magnetically responsive member, means for illuminating the interior of the indicia carrier for transmission of the light through the indicia carrier, where provided with indicia, to and through the window, means on thecasing for supporting it from a part of the automobile with the casing and supporting means pivoted together, and the lightgiving means comprising an electrlc lamp with connections between the lamp and the casing support for maintaining electrical contact when the casing and support are in tipped relation one to the other.

12. A compass for automobiles comprising a casing, a rotatable member therein responsive to earth magnetism, and an indicia carrier with indicia thereon in concentric vrelationl to the axis of rotation of the rotatable member and fast to and movable with said rotatable member, the casing being provided on one sideof the axis of rotation of the rotatable member with a window and on the opposite side with means for attaching the casingto a partof the automobile forward Aof the operators seat, with the window at a height corresponding to the line ofsight of the operator, whereby the indicia .is visible to the operator lthrough the window at the rear side of the casing.

13.' A compass for `automobiles comprising a casing with a window at one side, a support for the casing on .the side thereof remote from the window for attachment of the casing to the wind shield of the automobile, a pivot connection between the casing and support for accommodating the compass to ti p'in of the wind shield, ,a

magnetic mem er 1n the casing responsive Vwindow to a person 4of the automobile. f 14. A compass for automobilescom'pris- ,n etic mem 'earth magnetlsm, and an 1nd1c1a carrier `mounted on' the magnetically responsive Lampes to earth magnetism, and an indicia carrier mounted on, the magnetically responsive member in position to be visible through the facing toward the front ing a casing. with a window at one'side, a

support for the casing on .the side thereof remote from the window forattachmentA of Ythe casing to the wind shield of the automofbile, 'a pivot connection between the casing and support for accommodating th'e com-- pass to tiplping ofthe wind shield a mager in the casing responsive to turev in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES D. MCCONNELL.

I Witnesses:

J. W. LOFFELTEN, JOHN McCUTcHEoN.-

as my own I have hereto aiiixed my signal 

